The convent lost power and generators were put into place as backup. A fire department captain told local media that the sisters, some of whom were on oxygen, were scared but in good spirits. “We joked with them a little bit…. They are a great bunch of ladies.”
Jim McDermott
Jim McDermott writes about pop culture at jimmcdermott.substack.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Is there a shortage of sacramental care for the elderly in the U.S.?
“Up until the last five or 10 years, Mass was offered every day. Then it was hard to get priests [every day]; then it was hard to get priests on the weekend. There were [fewer priests] in the parishes and they were being stretched thin.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
The Making of ‘The Exorcist’
“The Exorcist” exposed people around the world to the question of evil in a new and terrifying way. It also laid the groundwork for a different kind of horror story.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
‘Succession’ and why we’re fascinated with horrible men
A story about a patriarch who keeps humiliating his children.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
In Los Angeles, Archbishop Gomez challenges white nationalism
“We need to help our society to see our common humanity—that we are all children of God, meant to live together as brothers and sisters.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
Netflix’s ‘Mindhunter’ explores the monsters within us
The second season of the F.B.I. serial killer show confronts the brutality of human existence.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Can the church do more to defend undocumented people?
Across the nation, bishops and other church leaders have spoken out against Trump administration asylum, detention and immigration policies. Many dioceses have mobilized to provide services for those under threat. But some Catholics worry the overall church response has been too muted, given the gravity of the crisis.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
‘Good Omens’ review: Angel and demon, best friends forever
The Amazon series is based on the much-beloved fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
California bishops release new letter on environment for ‘Laudato Si’’ anniversary
In the four years since Pope Francis released his encyclical “On Care of Our Common Home,” both global and local reporting on the effects of climate change has only gotten more dire.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
How the Jesuits got a for-profit detention center company to report human rights abuses
Jesuits West province requested that GEO, which runs 134 facilities around the world—including 69 detention centers in the United States—“report annually…on how it implements” its human rights policy.